Congratulations to Nik Wallenda who successfully crossed Niagara Falls on a tight rope on Friday night. Nik walked himself into the history books by being the first person to cross the mouth of the Horseshoe Falls. There was a crowd of nearly 105,000 that showed up to watch the event in person with millions watching from their TV sets at home. Nik comes from a long line of tightrope walkers, dating back 7 generations in his family. Most people thought that this walk would never happen. There were many obstacles to overcome and many loops to jump through but after a lot of hard work, it was a true success with television viewers tuning in from around the world. For his next feat, Nik is eyeing up the Grand Canyon, and says he already has the permits to start the process.
Check out what the Falls looked like the day of the walk, before all the insanity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diG-UqP_ZMo&feature=plcp
Highlights of the 45-minute walk include an exhilarating passage through the ‘wet zone’ where Wallenda was pelted with mist and wind that gusted up to 20 km/h. There was also a point when Nik dropped to one knee to salute the crowd. Throughout the walk, he maintained a slow, deliberate pace aside from the last 20 meters where he sprinted gingerly to the finish on the Canadian side of the falls. Upon arrival, he was promptly met by Canadian border officials to present his passport before celebrating with the thousands of onlookers.
With his positive attitude at center stage, Nik professed words of encouragement passed down for generations in his family stating that you must pursue your goals and work very hard until you achieve them.
It was a great day for tourism in Niagara Falls with people traveling from far and wide to come see the event live and in person. Hotels were filled and restaurants were bursting at the seams with satisfied thrill seekers who were delighted to see the crossing go off without a hitch.